Palladium, ancora per molto

Cominciano a chiarirsi i termini della questione, e ci si comincia a preoccupare più seriamente. Richard Forno scrive su The Register:

“Given the pervasiveness of computers in modern society, the worldwide social ramifications of Palladium are enormous. Consider the ability of one entity — in this case, Microsoft — to dictate acceptable behavior and content (remember Smart Tags?) in service of its own commercial aspirations. If your behavior or actions are deemed ‘unacceptable’ by such a third party, you could find yourself impotent on the global stage.”

Già una volta Intel ci aveva provato con l’ID della CPU, ed era successo il finimondo. Ma adesso è per la tua sicurezza, è per il tuo bene, non vorrai mica protestare!

Sempre su The Register, un’altro articolo esamina le preoccupanti implicazioni che Palladium comporta per Linux e per le GPL:

“This is a nail in the GPL’s coffin. Yes, I can improve the app and give away or maybe even sell my improved version; but first I have to prove that it qualifies for certification, and second I have to pay for the cert. And when I release it, source and all, only the certified binary will function.

The entire concept of root will be out the window. If I build my own or re-compile my existing kernel, my certs won’t work. I won’t be permitted to log in to the Microsoft Digital Empire or any of its numerous colonies because that little chip on my mobo is going to freak out. Perhaps even my certified apps will fail to run. And I can no longer present my Uniform Identifier at the digital immigration turnstiles which MS will be setting up as I meander through cyberspace. “Sorry, we don’t know who you are; you’ll have to turn back….”

Insomma, il mondo comincia a svegliarsi. Se vuoi tenerti aggiornato, prova ogni tanto questa query su Google News.